Everybody's Got a Secret
by spaceyfoo
Summary: A continuing story revolving around the lives of all the Smallville characters, plus some new ones PG13 for some language and "romantic content"
1. The Arrival

It's a bright sunny morning in Smallville, Kansas, and things are looking cheerful at the Kent farm. Ms. Kent is humming as she tends to the flower garden, Mr. Kent is whistling cheerfully as he bucks hay, and 15-year old Clark Kent is in the loft, enjoying the morning by avoiding his chores, instead propped up on the loft's window's sill fiddling with the telescope, thinking of doing some morning "sky-watching". He peers through the lens, which is conveniently focused right at Lana Lang's front door. Unfortunately, there is nothing transpiring on the Lang doorstep this early in the morning. Everybody in that house is likely still in bed, Clark thinks, not up so early doing the usual farm business on a Saturday morning. Clark briefly wonders what his life would be like if he weren't on the farm, if the Kent's had never adopted him, then immediately dismisses the thought. After all, Clark is thankful he has such wonderful family and friends, and he can't picture what his life would be like if it weren't for the Kents.  
  
"Clark!" comes his dad's voice from the bottom of the loft stairs, "Not avoiding your chores are you I hope?"  
  
"No dad!" Clark replies with an inaudible groan. "Just um…cleaning up the loft first!"  
  
"Well come down here as soon as you're done, which should be soon right? Your mother and I have a surprise for you."  
  
Clark is suddenly curious. It's not often his parents have surprises for him. There's usually just work to be done, or things they need him to lift or chop or crush. Clark quickly cleans up the loft (this takes about three seconds in regular time), one last uneventful peer through the telescope, and glides downstairs.  
  
"I want to thank you once again for letting me stay here," Lena says, pushing her long red hair behind her ear.  
  
"It's no trouble at all," Mr. Kent replies, albeit a bit apprehensively, "We're not going to turn away our own family."  
  
"I just wish I had given you a bit more notice, instead of just popping in like this."  
  
"Don't worry about it, Lena. There's plenty of room here," Mrs. Kent adds, "And I'm sure Clark is going to be thrilled to see his favorite cousin again."  
  
Lena smiles. "Favorite cousin? Well that is flattering, even considering I'm his only cousin!" They all laugh.  
  
At that moment Clark appears from the barn, surveying the scene outside. His parents are standing by the driveway, talking to a red haired girl that looks about his age, but a bit older and worldlier than him it seems. Clark's dad calls him over.  
  
"Clark," he says, "Remember your cousin, Lena?"  
  
"Lena?" Clark says stunned. Suddenly, a shooting pain sears across his forehead. Clark grimaces and tries not to double over.  
  
"Clark," Lena says lovingly, then steps forward and wraps her arms around him. Clark winces in pain, as his insides seem to burst into flames. "It's been so long."  
  
She lets go and steps back. The pain subsides a little, but Clark still feels off. His parents look at him a bit worriedly, but say nothing.  
  
"Lena will be staying with us for awhile," his mom says, then looks sideways at Mr. Kent. "We'll leave you two to get reacquainted," Mr. Kent says, and the two go off to leave Clark and Lena alone on the front lawn, Clark struggling not to show the pain he is feeling.  
  
"Clark," Lena says, looking admirably at him, "You look so….different!" She manages not to say what she is really thinking, which is "drop-dead sexy".  
  
"So do you," Clark replies. He thinks she has become quite beautiful herself, much different from the red haired eleven-year old who used to tease him and call him booger-face. He attempts to stifle thoughts that make him wish she were not his half-cousin.  
  
Lena moves away from him, examining the wide array of flowers that are growing alongside the fence. Clark's pain subsides, although there is still a mild burning sensation in his insides. "So what brings you back to Smallville?" he manages to say, "Tired of life in the big city?"  
  
Lena turns and smiles coolly at him. Clark's stomach lurches.  
  
"I'm just thankful to be there," Lena says, "I mean, that they let me in to Metropolis University, what with…" she hesitates for a moment, "Well, since I didn't get the scholarship I was hoping for. But I will admit I have sometimes wondered about returning to the small town life, seeing all my old friends, and especially my family." Clark watches as she stops and looks up at the barn and the Kent house, and the open sky, with an expression that Clark cannot understand.  
  
"I'm glad you're back too, Lena," he says, "It's been too long."  
  
Clark's memory brings him back to one day, when he is eight years old. He's playing out in the field, running and chasing his cousin. He has not yet developed most of his abilities, but they are starting to appear little by little, at unexpected times. Mr. and Mrs. Kent, knowing that their son is different, are doing the best they can to protect him and keep his developing powers under-wrap.  
  
"Tag, you're it!" Lena screams, punching Clark in the arm and running off. Clark rubs his arm expecting the punch to sting but it does not. He often wonders now why other kids can get hurt and he can't. There're a lot of things that Clark is able to do that other kids can't. For starters, he can lift really heavy things, like cars and his father's farm equipment, and he never gets injuries, even little things like cuts and broken bones like most kids get. His parents have told him it's because he is special, and explained to him why he cannot tell other kids about his abilities because he might accidentally hurt someone. And Clark, who at eight years old is way above average in intelligence and compassion, understands this and promises not to tell other kids about his special secret.  
  
"Ow," Clark says, just because he hears other kids say it when they're punched, "You booger-face. I'm going to catch you." Clark sprints off toward his cousin who is now about twenty feet ahead of him. Clark often comes out into the fields with Lena, who is eleven but still willing to play with Clark. She's in a higher grade at school than him though, and makes a point of ignoring him there (because in school it is not "cool" to associate with lower grades) but Clark knows she still loves him, because after school they often spend the whole time playing together until they have to go home for dinner. At the time, Lena had been living on and off with Clark's family. Clark's parents told him she was her half-cousin; Mrs. Kent's sister's adopted daughter. A few years ago, though, Martha's sister had died in a car accident, leaving Lena with no real home, so she came to live with the Kents when she was ten. Clark knew by this time that he too was adopted, so really neither or them were related. But to Clark it didn't matter, because he and Lena were best friends, and nothing could tear them apart.  
  
"Clark, you're slower than a turtle!" Lena calls from up ahead of Clark as he ran, pumping his legs trying to catch up to her. "Look at me, I'm faster than…than a speeding bullet!" And it was true. Lena is an extraordinarily fast runner. She was on the elementary school track team (although it wasn't much of a track team) and always came in first in school competitions.  
  
Clark pouts to himself. He wonders why he isn't as good at running as he is at other things, like lifting and throwing. Just as he is thinking what it would be like if he could run faster, a strange thing happens. He is thinking at the time that it would be real neat if he could make time slow down around him, then he could run faster than everybody. And as he thinks of this, all of a sudden around him things start to go…weird. Clark feels like he is almost running through a big glob of jelly. Things around him look weird too. Nothing looks too different, just kind of blurry, until he noticed the birds. A bird is flying up above him in slow motion, or at least it looks like it. And some other birds are doing that too. But I'm still running normally, he thinks. Then he looks up ahead and sees Lena. She too appears to be running in slow motion. But Clark feels like he is moving at regular speed. He keeps running, and soon, he has caught up to Lena! She still looks like she's running really, really slowly. "Hey," he calls to her as he actually passes her, "Who's the turtle now!" Laughing at his cleverness, he runs past her and gets all the way to the house. It isn't until he stops running that things go back to "normal". Clark turns around and waits for Lena to arrive so that he can gloat about having beaten her. He waits for what seems like ten minutes. Finally, Lena appears through the tall rows of corn, looking bewildered and even a bit frightened. "How…she begins, "What….." but stops because she is breathing too hard from running. Clark realizes just then that he had not been out of breath at all. All of a sudden, the strangeness of what has happened hits Clark. How had he out-run Lena, and why had everything gone in slow motion? Lena continues to look perplexed, and Clark suddenly doesn't feel very good. Clutching his stomach, he runs toward the house, and inside to tell his parents everything that just happened.  
  
  
  
Clark realizes that he has been staring at Lena for a while not saying anything. Lena is also looking at him, not saying anything. The sound of a truck backfiring on the road seems to bring both of them back down to earth.  
  
"You're right Clark," Lena suddenly says, "It has been too long. Ever since…" She stops talking, when she sees a truck pull into the Kent driveway. The truck has Smallville Police Department written on the side. Clark looks over at the truck, where local sheriff Jim Stanley is getting out. Jim waves to Clark, and Clark smiles back. "Lena," he says, "This will only take a second. Mr. Stanley stops by on Saturday mornings for vegetables and…" Clark stops when he realizes that Lena is no longer standing beside him. Using his x-ray vision, he sees her running behind the barn and into the cornfields. Strange, Clark thinks, than goes over to help the sheriff.  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, at the Luthor Corp Fertilizer Plant, Lex Luthor is walking down a steel connector bridge on his way between the Head Offices and the Department of Safety Office. His right hand-man of the day, Joe Strafford, trails beside him, spouting off the most recent figures and statistics obtained from the Department of Figures and Statistics. "And yesterday's accident report shows a 43% decrease in all minor plant accidents, and the report on productivity shows that 51 % of the…." Joe rambles, although Lex is barely paying attention. His mind is elsewhere today. All Lex has been thinking about for the past few days is today- the anniversary of his mother's death.  
  
"Joe," Lex finally says, "Take the rest of the day off" Joe looks taken aback.  
  
"Mr. Luthor, I don't think that's a good…" Lex turns and shoots him a patented Luthor look which means "do not question my authority". "Don't worry, Joe," Lex says self-assuredly, "I've got everything under control. The plant will be fine. Trust me. I'll put Gabe Sullivan in charge."  
  
Joe gives him one more questioning look, then says, "If you say so, Mr. Luthor," and scuttles ahead of him and through the doors to the Head Office.  
  
Good, Lex thinks, I couldn't stand another minute of that mindless jabbering. Not today. I just need some time alone, to think. With that, Lex heads toward the Head Office, to tell his people he will not be available for the rest of the day, and to let them know that if his father calls for him, he's to leave a message.  
  
  
  
Chloe Sullivan flips through her index file of all the names, phone numbers, and addresses of every business in Smallville and it's surrounding areas. She lets go of a heavy sigh she has been withholding for some time. She has been working on this same story for days, and the whole vagueness of information is starting to drive her mad. Chloe is known for being able to retrieve any information on just about anything from anywhere, but this…it seems like any information pertaining to the story she is doing has been blown clear off the face of the earth. She rips out the card saying "Zed's Laundry Service" and dials them up. A man answers, and Chloe asks them if they have any information pertaining to a Les Lowry ever having been employed there. The man says the name is not familiar, but that he will check and phone her back. Chloe says thank you and hangs up with another sigh. That's the last business in Smallville, she thinks, and still no trace of the elusive Les Lowry. She has called everywhere, checked every file she could find on the Internet, even hacked into the city's employment records, to no avail. No sign of a Les Lowry ever working in Smallville, or even existing outside of that one article. "Thinking of which," Chloe mumbles as she pulls out the article from a folder, the most interesting article she may have ever found from the Metropolis Daily Planet, which she originally thought contained no interesting information. She decides to read over it for the millioneth time.  
  
  
  
SUNDAY, APRIL 19th, 2001, Metropolis: MYSTERIOUS MAN FOILS CHAIN-ROBBER. In what can truly be called a surprising turn of events, wanted criminal Jed "Bulldog" Hartley was finally captured by police after a string of mysterious break-ins throughout Metropolis. Yesterday morning, Metropolis Police busted into Jed's secret hide-out, arresting him and discovering the whereabouts of more than 50 million dollars worth of stolen laboratory equipment. Police say the discovery as to Jed's whereabouts was made after a helpful stranger alerted officer-on-duty Stan O'Riley, who was on-call near the scene of Jed's most recent crime, a break-in of the LuthorCorp Labs. The man did not identify himself, but after receiving the information on the Bulldog's whereabouts, Officer O'Riley recognized the man as being Les Lowry, a wanted criminal who he had been looking for during his previous position as Assistant Deputy Sheriff of Smallville. O'Riley said the man had fled before he had time to take him in, but that Lowry could most likely be found in Smallville, where he had, according to local records, been previously employed. Lowry is wanted on charges of burglary and conspiracy.  
  
  
  
Of course, a story like this is naturally of interest to Chloe, who revels in unraveling complicated mysteries that involve little known information about people, or searching for clues in unlikely sources. Especially since this one involves the LuthorCorp plant, which Chloe suspects is responsible for causing more harm than good. Ever since her summer internship at the Daily Planet, she has been more and more focused on trying to solve bigger mysteries, and write stories that will impress the editors at the Daily Planet, in hopes that as soon as she graduates high school, they'll offer her at least a part time job. She's willing to do just about anything to get out of Smallville and back into the big city where she grew up. Even though she's made some great friends here, like Clark Kent and Pete Ross, even Lana Lang more recently, Chloe knows her true calling lies in big-time reporting  
  
"But this one…" Chloe sighs. She knows she cannot figure out this story without the one missing clue, and that is just who this "Les Lowry" person is. But it seems, if Les Lowry ever was really employed in Smallville, somebody's doing their best to cover it up, or else lead people on a wild goose chase. I vow I'm gonna discover who this Les Lowry character really is, she thinks, and when the Daily Planet reads the knock- your-sock- off article I'm going to write, they'll be bound to hire me! 


	2. Lex meets Lena

Lex presses the remote locking device on the keys to his black Porsche as he heads toward the doors of The Beanery, the popular coffee house hangout for the teenagers of Smallville. Maybe a Latte will clear my head, he thinks, but he knows he's mostly there on a whim that he might bump into Clark Kent. Clark Kent is the one person he knows he can trust in talking to, and his one true friend. Ever since the day Clark saved his life by pulling him out of his car as it sank below the water after plummeting off a bridge, Lex has dedicated much of his time to developing a relationship between the two, and helping Clark out whenever he needs anything, especially things that cost money, which the Kents lack but Lex has plenty of. He is after all, the son of billionaire tycoon Lionel Luthor, owner of Luthor Corp industries and the most rich and powerful man in Metropolis, although he can't say much about the relationship between the two Luthor men. It is a well-known fact that Lionel does not think too highly of his son. In fact, it is why Lex has been exiled to Smallville, to "oversee" the Luthor Corp's Smallville fertilizer plant. At first, Lex was more angry than enthused, but lately he's begun to see his placement as an interesting opportunity, and has begun plotting ways to assert authority and convince his father he's capable of the job, and of his affections. Ever since that one fateful day…Lex thinks, referring to that day 12 years ago, when the meteor shower hit Smallville, as a young red-haired Lex gallivanted in the fields by his father's new plant. Back then, his father had been just as distant with him, and it was in fact his mother's idea to send Lex to Smallville, in order to spend more time with his father. But it just so happened that day, when the meteors hit, he was nearby one of the impact sites, and the force of the meteor impact caused his hair to be blown off, and since then he has been involuntarily bald, not to mention immune to almost any disease (or so a bunch of tests have shown). After the incident, Lionel did his utmost to get his son the best medical treatment possible and restore him to his original self, but to no avail. Lionel always felt guilty for what happened to his son, but obviously had a funny way of showing it. Instead of growing closer together, Lex and Lionel only grew further apart, especially when Lex's mother passed away. Since then, his father has treated him like a painful burden, a reminder of the woman he loved.  
  
My father is never there for me, Lex thinks, but Clark is like a brother to me. I won't let anything happen to him.  
  
Lex enters the Beanery, approaches the counter and orders the Latte. The woman at the counter smiles shyly at him, knowing who he is. Lex sighs and wishes he were not so infamous in this town. For some people, it meant nothing more than feeling unsure or a bit threatened or scared around him, for others it meant a shooting of dirty looks or undesirable encounters. The woman hands him the Latte with another smile. Lex smiles back as he turns around to get a table. The girl is pretty cute, he thinks, too bad she's not in my league. Suddenly, something or someone bumps into him, knocking his Latte back and covering his brand new purple Armani shirt with hot liquid.  
  
"Hey!" cries a woman's voice. He looks up preparing to say something at whoever bumped into him. He sees it is a red haired woman, and his breath momentarily catches. The girl somehow looks familiar to him, and suddenly feelings Lex can't quite describe start to churn inside him. "Don't you watch where you're going?" the girl continues.  
  
Lex snaps back to reality long enough to realize the girl's white shirt is also covered with brown liquid. He realizes she is holding a coffee cup and must've also been splashed on when they bumped into each other.  
  
"I'm so sorry," Lex says, decidedly taking the blame for the encounter, "Here, let me help you" Lex grabs a handkerchief from his pocket and awkwardly moves in to dab at the stain on the girls chest.  
  
"Uh…"the girls begins, feeling a bit awkward too as she realizes what the man is about to do. "That's ok…. I'm sorry about your shirt too." Lex looks at his shirt, then shrugs. "That's ok, I have plenty of shirts." The two look at each other without saying anything, seemingly unaware that the people around them are all staring. The woman at the counter finally intervenes, offering them both wet towels. "Thank you," they both say. Finally, Lex says to the girl, "Do I know you from somewhere?"  
  
The girl looks at Lex, who to her also seems vaguely familiar. She realizes he is quite handsome, and that she is blushing. "I don't think so," she finally says.  
  
"Well please allow me to pay the dry cleaning bills for that shirt," Lex says, getting out a business card and handing it to the girl, "Or let me pay for a new shirt."  
  
"Well, thank you…" she says, looking at the card and reading, "..Lex Luthor."  
  
"Call me Lex," Lex says, "And I'll buy you another Latte." Lex goes over to the counter.  
  
"That's really not nec…" the girl starts, but sees he has already ordered another. Lex comes back over and stands in front of her, his hands in the pockets of his dark colored suit. They stand looking awkwardly at each other, each of their eyes looking at the other and than to the floor in a series of awkward glances. "Well," Lex says finally, "I apologize but I better get going. Important business meeting." He wonders what the girl is thinking now that she knows who he is, that is, if she didn't already know who he was before. He doesn't think he has ever seen this girl in Smallville before, which is unlikely considering how tiny the town is. "Send me the bill for the shirt,….I'm sorry, what was your name?"  
  
"Lena," the girl says, "Lena Thorul."  
  
Lex smiles. "Your Latte's ready." Lena watches him go through the door and get into an expensive looking black car that's parked out front. She goes over to the counter and gets the Latte, smiling as she sits down at a counter to drink it, totally oblivious to her soaking shirt.  
  
  
  
Lana Lang slips on her pair of fuzzy pink slippers, yawns and stretches. She has slept late today, a rare occasion, as she is usually up early to help her aunt out with the housework or to help out somewhere else. Her schedule is always jam packed, but unlike most people, Lana is pretty good at juggling all kinds of things. Her most recent project was the complete recovery of the Smallville theatre The Torch, which she undertook due to sentimental reasons. Her parents had first met there, and when she found out that Lex Luthor had plans to turn the old theatre into a parking garage, she did all she could to convince him to support a rebuilding of the theatre, rather than a demolition. It was the least she could do to retain the memory of her parents, who had both died in the meteor shower when Lana was little.  
  
Today, for once, Lana doesn't have anything to do all day, so she figures she'll get up, see what she can help out with, then head over to the Beanery. But first, she remembers that she has to call Whitney, her boyfriend. He has been acting funny lately (which isn't unusual, seeing as how his father has just undergone a heart operation, and on top of that, Whitney had been involved in a robbery recently when he got caught up in the wrong crowd…) but Lana has forgiven him. She has learned as a result of her parent's death to nurture every relationship she forms, and to not take anyone for granted, for they could be gone before you know it. So Lana strives to keep her relationship with Whitney strong, despite her feelings that she and him are not meant to be. She knows she cannot break it off with Whitney; not when he's going through so much. But she also cannot deny her feelings for Clark Kent. He is one of Lana's closest friends; but lately, she has been seeing him in a new light. The way he looks at me with those deep blue eyes, and smiles that charming grin… Lana thinks, and smiles to herself. Then, she feels a guilty pang of conscious when she realizes she was supposed to be phoning Whitney. Lana sighs to herself. Sometimes, she wishes she didn't have to carry on this air of stability and strength all the time. Even though she knows she is strong, she thinks she is also human, and human beings have weaknesses and faults, right? Lana is tired of everyone thinking she is so strong because she handled herself being an orphan and all that other stuff. Maybe I won't call Whitnye right now, she thinks, and with that, gets up and heads downstairs to make breakfast.  
  
  
  
Mr. and Mrs. Kent sit at the kitchen table, sipping coffee that had gone cold ten minutes ago. Neither knows exactly what to say. They both know what is on each other's mind. Lena. Why she had suddenly turned up after years of no contact. The real reason she is here. But neither knows what to say, especially to Clark. He is the one person who they believe cannot know the truth. Finally, Mr. Kent sets down his coffee mug and looks at his wife.  
  
"Martha," he begins, just as Mrs. Kent begins "Jonathon.." Both stop and laugh nervously. "I'll go," Mr. Kent says after a beat. "I know what you're thinking, and well, I'm thinking that too. But, we both know it's best not to tell Clark, and to just welcome Lena like nothing's happened since she left."  
  
"I agree," Mrs. Kent says, "For Clark's sake, and Lena's. It's best if we just let her stay here as long as need be, and pretend like nothing ever happened," says Mrs. Kent.  
  
"Like what never happened?" comes Clark's voice suddenly. Mr. and Mrs. Kent start to see their son has just entered the kitchen.  
  
"Clark," says Mr. Kent, taking a deep exhaling breath, "We didn't know you were there."  
  
"Like what never happened, dad?" Clark repeats a bit more menacingly (well as menacingly as he can get with his parents before they shoot him their parental look of disproval). Clark averts his parent's stern glances and retreats to the table where he sits down a bit more humbly.  
  
Mrs. Kent sighs and reaches to take hold of Clark's hand. "Clark, I'm sure you know by now that there are some things better kept hidden." She begins.  
  
Clark understands of course, but it doesn't stop his insatiable curiosity from kicking in. "I understand," he says, "I'm sure if it were important you guys would tell me, right?"  
  
His parents smile at him. "Of course, Clark," his dad says, "We wouldn't let anything happen to you. But…" Mr. Kent hesitates.  
  
"What is it?" Clark said slowly.  
  
"Well," Mr. Kent continues, "Just be careful, son. And if you feel something…isn't right, just avoid the situation. And with Lena…well, we know you want to revisit with your cousin, but be careful. There are things about her you don't know, just like all of us. Promise us you'll be careful, son."  
  
Clark smiles reassuringly at his father, even though he doesn't completely understand what he means. "I promise," he says, although he doesn't know exactly what he's promising. And what is it about Lena that his parents are so worried about? Is it the way she makes him feel queasy? Or is it because of what she might know? Clark isn't sure of either, but just like his parents, he has many doubts and questions about the mysterious Lena Thorul. 


	3. Luthor Corp

Lena lies in her bed, tossing and turning in a half-dreaming state. It is Saturday night, and she had spent the day touring Smallville alone (since Clark had claimed he had prior engagements that could not be put off but he would do something with her tomorrow, or so he promised), taking in the sights that had changed so much during the eight years she had been gone. The old theatre had been turned into a cool new hangout, with, she found out from a helpful passerby, the help of Lex Luthor. Of course, afterwards Lena had come to realize just who Lex was. The name Luthor was an obvious hallmark in Metropolis, and she felt a bit embarrassed of the way she had acted around the billionaire Lionel Luthor's son. After all, she had worked briefly for Luthor Corp in Metropolis, as an intern, and it was only because of the peculiar generosity of Lionel Luthor she had managed to avoid hefty consequences for that one little…incident. To this day, she didn't understand why the CEO of Luthor Corp had done what he did for Lena, all things considering. She could only play back that one night in her mind, over and over….  
  
  
  
It was the night of December 13th, and downtown Metropolis was blanketed in a light sheath of snow, which continued to fall gently. Lena's breath appeared as a fog in the cold night air. As she walked into the Luthor Corp Headquarters' front doors, she couldn't help feeling a bit chilled. After all, she was there tonight not just to put in some "extra time" as her job as a secretarial intern demanded, but to help pull off one of the biggest robbery-heists Metropolis had ever seen.  
  
Lena entered through the main doors, shooting a sexy smile at Mel Scooter, the head in charge of security. Mel let's her in immediately with no weapons or security clearance check (it's really a shame, Lena thought, who you have to sleep with around here just to overcome a few hurdles). As she goes up the elevators, she runs her hand over the disc she has hidden in the front pocket of her jacket, and runs over the plan once more in her head:  
  
At 9 pm, one of the central computer systems would be shut down for ten minutes while personnel perform maintenance checks (this secret information was obtained from one of the many insiders that work at Luthor Corp). It is at 9 pm that Lena would hack into the main system undetected using a program she designed while supposedly interning at the main office, and retrieve the secret Luthor Corp files- the files that contain information no one but Lionel Luthor and his lackeys are supposed to know. These files contain evidence that proves Luthor Corp had been skimping funds on environmental clean-up and waste disposal in order to save money, and more pressingly, doing illegal genetic and bio-chemical experiments in their "top-secret" laboratories scattered throughout the country; experiments that have led to numerous injuries and over 27 supposed "accidental" or "unexplained" deaths. A few of the insiders have seen the files but been unable to retrieve them from the main computer system, for the files obviously are heavily protected. Anyone attempting to break in would be discovered and suffer sever consequences (like many of the other "unexplained" deaths at Luthor Corp), and less than 10 people (including two of the insiders) knew the contents of the files. But the insiders had gathered together 7 people (one of which was Lena) into an organization that planned to go against Luthor Corp by breaking into the files that would expose the truth, not to mention ending up with a big-ass payday. The plan was that after the files had been retrieved, the insiders, calling themselves the AntiLuthorCorp, would demand a large sum of money of Lionel Luthor, less the files be turned over to proper authorities and made public, resulting in the social destruction of Luthor Corp. Lena truly believed at the time that it was a foolproof plan. She thought it would be almost impossible to trace who had hacked into the main system, since the main system would be down for that ten minutes, thus eliminating her fear of being traced, and in case there was a back-up system in the network somewhere unknown to her, the program Lena designed should take care off that, and buy her some time to cover her tracks. Either way, Lena couldn't see how they would track it to her. Security wise, she had everything planned out and taken care off, including video surveillance (she had hooked up the Luthor Corp security cameras on her floor to a "play back" video that would show her as being away from her desk for that ten minutes). Besides, she was just an "innocent little intern", nobody anybody would suspect of playing a key role in such a big operation, she figured. And once they (the "ALC") had the files, they would be totally anonymous, using only the most high tech equipment (which of course they had stolen from Luthor Corp) to communicate with Lionel Luthor via satellite from an undisclosed location. The money (which would top the billion mark) was to be placed in an undisclosed account, and later transferred to the ALC and divided amongst the 7.  
  
Lena had first found out about the covert operation when she was in a "relationship" with one of the insiders, Paul Ramone. He was one of Lionel's financial advisors, and was aware of the secrets Lionel was desperate to keep hidden. He had admitted to her the contents of the files after some gentle prodding from Lena, who had a way of finding out information she wasn't supposed to. After this, she agreed to help them with their plan by building the hacking program using her extraordinary computer skills, as long as she got a larger percentage of the cut. Lena had never known money before in her life. In fact, she had spent her childhood going between foster parents after her original parents were killed in a car crash, and spent most of the time in near poverty or uncertain of her future. After managing to land the Luthor Corp position while she attended Metropolis University (using money she had "come upon" during some recent odd jobs), her eyes were opened to the life of luxury. Every day she saw the billionaires who worked at Luthor Corp, getting into their fancy cars, going home to their mansions and families…mainly Lionel Luthor who seemed to have more money than God could handle. She couldn't imagine having a quarter of what he had, having to not slave her way through each day just to make a buck. Of course, she had been piffling cash for quite some time, ever since the time she worked in a video store and managed to rig the computer so all the rounded off figures were added into a bank account she had set up, giving her a nice sum of extra profits, but still barely enough to live comfortably on. Lana had figured that she would only take money that she decided "rightfully belonged" to her, or that the people who were getting it didn't deserve. In the case of the video store piffling, she had information that the owner of the store frequented a certain illicit "warehouse" and had proof of many folders hidden on his personal computer (which she had hacked into) containing pictures of 13 year olds that would get him arrested if she ever were to report him. So instead, she took the money she figured he didn't deserve, planning to use her information in the chance he ever found out. And he did find out, so Lena told him what she found out, and a week later she quit, a couple thousand dollars richer, the video store going out of business. This time, she saw the perfect opportunity to make enough money to keep her financially secure the rest of her life, while technically not stealing since the money they got would be money that Luthor Corp had stolen from pretty much everyone. Lena was not stupid, she knew what would happen if she got caught, but she was also a desperate woman trying to survive, and she believed than, that she was practically invincible, and would not get caught. If only she had known then how wrong she was.  
  
Lena arrived at the desk where she did most of her "paperwork". Her floor was practically empty; rarely anyone stayed after 5 o clock except a few pencil pushers and people who hated their family and didn't want to go home, so Lena was able to sneak out the disc without anyone so much as glancing up from their work. She opened the program she designed, and inserted the disc into the disc drive. She looked at her watch, which was perfectly in sync with the clocks at Luthor Corp. 8:57. It was almost time.  
  
"Hey Lena," a voice came suddenly from above her, and Lena jumped. She looked up and saw Roby Aaronson smiling down at her, his eyes glistening behind his thick black-rimmed glasses. Roby was a junior assistant executive of finances or something like that, Lena knew. Roby had a habit of coming over to hit on her frequently throughout the day, and right now was obviously not the best time for any of that.  
  
"Oh…hey, Roby," Lena replied, nervously glancing at the clock. 8:58. "Um, what are you doing here so late?"  
  
"Oh, you know, just filing some reports and stuff. Wouldn't want "the boss" to get hard with me." Roby laughed, a high nasally laugh that sent shivers down Lena's spine.  
  
"Yeah, I know how that is." Lena continued absently, glancing around the room, "I'm sorry Roby, but I've got a lot of work to do right now, so if you wouldn't mind…"  
  
"Oh, no, I understand," Roby said, his tone of voice suddenly sounding angry and menacing, "You know I've been trying to talk to you for eight weeks, and all you've done is blow me off. Well, this time I'm going to say what I have to say!"  
  
Lena shuddered. Why now, Roby? she thought, Why this night? Frantic, she decided to try to turn her attention on how to start the program on time. The clock read 8:59.  
  
"Ok, fine, Roby," she said, trying to make her voice appear calm and sturdy. "How 'bout, you take ten minutes to think up what it is exactly that you want to say, and come back then, and I promise I'll give you my full attention. Oh," she added with her sexy smile, "Make it something….hot." She winked.  
  
Roby seemed satisfied with this response. "I will, just that," he said, then winked at her, "I know you want me baby." And with that he strode off grinning to himself.  
  
That was close, Lena thought. 9:00. Ok, time to get this baby started.  
  
Lena opened the disc, took a deep breath, and clicked on the program, hoping that the other 6 were all doing their parts (like monitoring her actions in case of an emergency, or distracting the security guards). Immediately things began to get rolling. Checking to make sure everything was functioning, like the roll-over video, the firewalls, and the track- scrambling devices she had installed, she then proceeded in accessing her way through to Luthor Corp central control. It took her a few minutes, and a few moments of panic when she thought she had done something wrong, but then there they were, right in front of her. She had the files, and no sign of anybody having yet noticed. She quickly began to download the files to the disc, which she knew would take a few minutes (she had carefully estimated five for the hacking, four for the download, with one minute "just in case"), and as she waited she glanced quickly throughout the room. Roby was no longer there, in fact the whole floor appeared empty. This should have relieved her but instead she felt a strong sense of panic. Her eyes darted around, fearing as though someone were spying on her, or coming for her. It hit her then just how possible it was this whole plan would not work. After all, they were just six people trying to outsmart Luthor Corp, the most powerful company in America. No, she thought as the download bar showed 50% download success, I can't think like that. I decided to go through with this and now I'm so close. I can't freak out now. Think of the look on Luthor's face when he finds out that the whole world is about to know the deadly truth behind "family friendly Luthor Corp".  
  
The download bar showed 75%. 80%. 90%. Lena clicked her fingers nervously on the desk, looking around, wondering if there were any hidden cameras. She had to hope nobody would notice the screen if there were. 94%. Oh hurry up. 97%. So close. She hears footsteps behind her. 98%. Omigod. 99%. The sound of a click. Lena swerving around. The front end of a gun looking her square between the eyes. Oh dear Lord. The sound of a voice.  
  
"Ok, I've thought about it, and what I've wanted to say is…."  
  
A shot fired. Lena seeing everything in a blur. Somebody falling to the ground. Blood. Her hand reaching for the disc. Somehow the disc in her hand and she's running. Another gunshot. Through some doors, down some halls. Shouts coming from behind her. More footsteps. An Emergency Exit sign, and then an alarm going off. Red lights. Blurs. Running. And then a figure standing in front of her. A dark shadowy figure, tall, vaguely familiar. Lena stopping, swaying. Suddenly being pulled into a room and the door closing behind her. Darkness. The sound of people's voices outside, then footsteps running past. A light coming on. Seeing a face, a face that she knew. The face of Lionel Luthor. 


End file.
